The Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board met on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, to discuss the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board's medium-term planning and 5-year strategic commissioning plan, and to receive an update on the Lancashire Better Care Fund. The Board agreed to receive further reports on oral health and the 5-year strategic commissioning plan, and to formally ratify the 2025/26 Quarter 3 Better Care Fund submission.

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board NHS Medium Term Planning and 5 Year Strategic Commissioning Plan

The Board received an update on the development of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board's (ICB) NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework and its emerging 5 Year Strategic Commissioning Plan. Jane Cass, Director of Partnerships and Collaboration for the ICB, presented the Commissioning Intentions for 2026/27, which are aligned with the NHS Three Shifts model: Hospital to Community, Sickness to Prevention, and Analogue to Digital. Key areas of focus include neighbourhood health model development, prevention and early diagnosis, and digital transformation.

Members of the Board emphasised the importance of aligning these plans with the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and ensuring financial sustainability and equitable service transformation. The Board agreed that the 5 Year Strategic Commissioning Plan would be presented at a future meeting.

A significant concern raised during this item was the ongoing difficulty residents face in accessing NHS dental care across Lancashire. The Board requested that the Director of Public Health provide a comprehensive update on NHS dental provision at the next meeting. This update should include statistics on appointment access, identification of significant gaps in provision, particularly in areas with high health inequalities, and an assessment of how these gaps exacerbate inequalities and strain other health services.

Furthermore, the Board asked for practical local opportunities to expand dental provision, including strengthening prevention programmes, assessing the availability of skilled dental professionals and under-utilised facilities, supporting workforce recruitment and retention, and accelerating collaboration with the ICB. The Director of Public Health was also asked to outline current actions being taken to improve NHS dental provision and any support required from the Board. The Board also confirmed that oral health outcomes would be routinely reported to enable monitoring of trends and the impact of interventions. It was agreed that a dedicated report on Oral Health would be presented at the March 2026 meeting.

Resolved:

• The Board received the update and considered how it could contribute to the development of the plan.
• The Board agreed that the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board would continue to attend Health and Wellbeing Board meetings to provide progress reports and share draft strategies.
• The Board agreed that the 5 Year Strategic Commissioning Plan would be presented at a future meeting.
• The Board agreed to receive a report from the Director of Public Health at a subsequent meeting addressing the issues raised on Oral Health.

Lancashire Better Care Fund March Update

Matthew Emerson, Director of Strategic Commissioning & Quality, presented an update on the Lancashire Better Care Fund (BCF). The Board was asked to formally ratify the 2025/26 Quarter 3 BCF submission, which had been submitted on 30 January 2026.

The report highlighted the framework for the 2026 to 2027 Better Care Fund, which aims to provide a more consistent and effective approach to funding integrated health and social care services. A workshop had been held to shape the 2026/27 plan, focusing on alignment with national priorities, the shift towards neighbourhood health, and opportunities for joint commissioning.

The Board noted that the 2025/26 plan aligns well with national and Lancashire priorities. While progress is being made towards reducing emergency admissions and residential admissions, the metric for reducing discharge delays was reported as not on track to meet the goal at the time of the Q3 submission, with the expectation that full-quarter data would show otherwise. The full-year forecast for the BCF is £214.860m, with approximately £158.791m spent to date.

The Board also discussed the importance of co-production with individuals with lived experience to shape BCF plans and agreed that a proposal for meaningful co-production would be brought forward to a future meeting.

Resolved:

• The Board noted the update from the Better Care Fund Board.
• The Board formally ratified the 2025/26 Quarter 3 Better Care Fund submission.

Neighbourhood Health Plans in Lancashire - Workshop

Heather Redhead, Public Health Specialist, and Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health, Wellbeing and Communities, provided an update on the development of an Interim Lancashire Neighbourhood Health Plan. This followed a workshop held on 20 January 2026, attended by over 55 participants from various organisations, including the NHS, local authorities, and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector.

The workshop aimed to develop a shared understanding of neighbourhood-based health approaches, identify existing good practice, and determine next steps. Key themes emerging from the discussions included the importance of defining neighbourhood geography, multi-sector collaboration, community involvement, and focusing on wider determinants of health. Participants identified existing work that could contribute to neighbourhood working, such as community meetings, multi-disciplinary teams, and co-location of services.

The Board was asked to review and comment on the progress achieved and endorse the strategic approach for developing neighbourhood health plans. An interim strategic plan is being drafted, with a second workshop planned for May 2026 to shape the operational plan, which is due by the end of June 2026.

Resolved:

• The Board reviewed and commented on the progress achieved to date.
• The Board endorsed the strategic approach for developing neighbourhood health plan(s) across Lancashire.

The Board also noted that there were no items of urgent business and confirmed the date of the next meeting as 10 March 2026.